Andrew Nelson

Andrew Nelson’s fascination with electronic sound began in the third grade when he received a small Casio keyboard and quickly became captivated by the possibilities of creating new sounds. At age eleven he discovered the Yamaha DX7 synthesizer and was determined to own one. When the instrument proved too expensive, Andrew started a paper route and saved his earnings month after month until his parents, impressed by his determination, loaned him the remaining amount so he could purchase the instrument and repay them over time. His passion for music continued through his studies at Stanford University, where he explored both history and music and was classically trained on the pipe organ. Today Andrew Nelson is a professor at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business and holds the Randall C. Papé Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. His research explores technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, and he is the co-author of the widely used textbook Technology Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise. Andrew has also written about the collaboration between Stanford University and Yamaha that helped shape the development of FM synthesis.